All we have today

Seattle's Sterling Carter, the top talent on the Redhawks, receives the feature treatment.

Raphielle Johnson on the traveling WAC teams

Raphielle Johnson, NBE Basketball West Coast Editor, weighs in with some WAC news:

These are tough times for the WAC, which is likely entering its final season as a full-fledged conference thanks to football-sparked realignment. The two teams that took trips are both entering their first season in the WAC, with Texas State headed to the Sun Belt in 2013. The Bobcats took on competition in Costa Rica, winning all three games by an average margin of 44 points per contest. To say the least the level of competition wasn’t on the level that Texas State will see once November rolls around, but the offensive production wasn’t dominated by just one or two guys.

Leading scorer Matt Staff returns and he capped the trip with an 18-point, 12-rebound outing, and each game featured a different leading scorer with Reid Koenen being another standout. But offense wasn’t the issue last season for the Bobcats, who averaged 76.4 points per game. It was the defense that ultimately led to Texas State going 5-11 in Southland play, as they allowed opponents to score more than 74 points per game. That will be the area in which a definitive answer on Texas State’s improvement won’t be truly offered until they take on better competition.

Seattle will be in China until the day after Labor Day and the trip will feature seven upperclassmen. Just like Texas State the Redhawks didn’t have much trouble scoring last year, but with the departure of Aaron Broussard there are 18 points per game that need to be accounted for. Second-leading scorer Sterling Carter returns for his junior campaign, and junior Clarence Trent should perform even better in his second season at Seattle after transferring from Washington in 2010.

But the trip will allow for Seattle to work on improving defensively, as they allowed opponents to score 75 points per game in 2011-12. Can veterans such as Prince Obasi and Allen Tate show themselves to be capable of taking on added responsibilities? That’s another question that will need answering as the Redhawks enter their first season in the WAC. They’ll get five games in China, and that should be a solid preparation for the coming season.

Saturday's world of WAC hoops

Percy Allen writes about Seattle touring China.

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Arizona Hot Spot has the news of USU offering a 2013 backcourter: "Poston Butte High 2013 6'4 SG Jalen Richard picks up new offers from Tulsa, Boise State, Drexel, Utah State and Air Force."

Here's a photo and description.

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Ben Davis, the founder, director and coach of the Minnesota Fury club team offers an update on his big, 6-foot-10 Carter Evans: "Carter does still have an offer from San Jose State and will be making an official visit out there in the middle of September. Carter currently has 8 offers (3 at the Division 1 level). His other two D1 offers are from Bradley and New Hampshire. Loyola, Boston, Holy Cross, and Colgate are also highly interested and I wouldn't be surprised if any of those teams offered in the near future as well."

PTW thanks Coach Davis for his update. Much appreciated.

Wednesday's (make that Tuesday's) WAC basketball how can I miss you when you won't go away edition

Per DRinCA, the Tim-Johnson-to-Idaho condundrum has been solved -- the 6-foot backcourter is headed to Cameron University in Oklahoma, a D-II school.

Johnson played at Los Angeles Trade Tech from 2009-2011 and sat out this past season to hone his academics. At one point, it was announced that he was headed to Moscow but it appears academics waylaid that option.

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DRinCA also lists Darnell Martin, a 6-foot-6, 225-pound forward at Mt. San Antonio (Walnut, CA), as moving on to Seattle. Martin was an All-SCC First Team selection after this past season.

Haven't seen this listed anywhere else, least of all the Seattle athletics site, so take it as a maybe.

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Tony Jones writes about the eventual USU move -- its benefits and challenges -- to the Mountain West Conference.

Added: ESPN's Eamonn Brennan piggybacks on Tony Jones article.

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Jason Groves writes that Wendell McKines has found a summer home and it will be a very short commute.

Saturday's WAC basketball compilation

A recent Joe Davidson tweet: "SacBee hoops Player of Year D'Erryl Williams of Sheldon picks up offers from LMU and Fresno State. Superb leader, skills, toughness"

He's a 6-foot-4 2013 prospect and a 4.0 student with excellent dribble-drive to the hoop talent.


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Dayton Morinaga has video with Shaq Stokes, all about the latter's departure.


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Looking way ahead ...


A recent Alex Kline/The Recruit Scoop tweet: "2014 Oregon D1 Ambassadors (OR) trio Ryan Shearmire, Yadie Dunmore & Ty Cleland are taking an unofficial visit to Denver"

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Chris Gabel has the latest on a Reno prepster with seven offers, going on 70.


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A Seattle assistant coach is departing for another position.

Thursday's WAC hoops collection

Jason Groves has the news about a pair shooters launching into Las Cruces.

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Two championships in a row and Gary Wilkinson might not be back in New Zealand. Here's another article covering that territory.

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From a Gilbert Muako tweet: "Weber St, Seattle & UC Riverside offered '13 G Manroop Clair of @DRIVEBasketball expect more to come. Kid is talented"

He's a 6-foot-1 backcourter. Here's a late July 2011 article.


Here's videotape from last summer:

Saturday's WAC roundball digest

From Anthony Ray on Twitter: "Texas Tech 6-foot-7 freshman transfer Cameron Forte will take an official recruiting visit to the University of Hawaii on April 19th"

It appears that Forte redshirted last season.

Here's an article when Forte signed with TT. Here's another.

Dayton Morinaga reports that Trevor Wiseman has joined Joston Thomas and Bobby Miles in departing from the Rainbow Warrior basketball program. Wiseman is seeking a starting position which wasn't going to happen at UH. So will it be Forte for Wiseman? Offense for rebounding and defense (but Forte will have to sit out a season)?

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In a first, PTW has a note on Seattle Redhawk hoops: a pair of transfers have been signed by Coach Cameron Dollar. 6-foot-3 guard Emerson Murray comes from Cal and 6-foot-1 Isiah Umipig, another backcourter, was last at Cal State Fullerton.

Here's the background information from the Seattle hoops site.

More on each later.

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Shawn Harrison rounds up the Utah State season and offers awards to various Aggies.

Watch out for this WAC newcomer

Some see dead people. But Craw's Corner goes one step further in seeing dead people in the West Athletic Conference once Seattle joins the league.

Well, this didn't help

It was a road game and Seattle is on the way, if not already arrived, to respectability so maybe this isn't that much of an upset. Both team shot very well (50% range) and Greg Smith played very well but the SeattleU pressured the ball, especially in the second 20 minutes, and produced turnovers.

Seattle's late layup upends Fresno State men
The Fresno Bee
November 19, 2009

Paul George scored 24 points and Greg Smith had his coming- out party in front of Los Angeles Lakers great Elgin Baylor on Thursday at KeyArena in Seattle.

But it was the Seattle Redhawks who impressed Baylor most on a night the court was dedicated in his honor, flashing a physical, trapping defense and hitting clutch shots.

Cervante Burrell's layup with 8.3 seconds gave Seattle its first win, 85-84, and sent the Bulldogs to their first defeat in three games...

Go here for the remainder.

Here is a Seattle Times game report and a Seattle Post-Intelligencer one.